Ironer roll cover



June 4, 1957 J. K. ALLEN IRONER ROLL. coviaR Filed Feb. 1. 1954 INVENTOR. JONATHAN K ALLEN FIG 3 mar United States Patent 2,794,240 IRONER ROLL COVER Application February 1, 1954, Serial No. 407 ,297 4 Claims. .(Cl. 29--13 1) The present invention relates to flatwork ironers and more particularly to protecting ironing roll padding and provides for certain improvements which make for simplicity, efficiency and prolonged extensive life.

One object of the invention is to prolong the useful life of paddings so as to avoid frequent shutdowns and to provide padding protection which is substantially immune to the deteriorating action of heat and moisture so that its useful life may be extended over a long period of rigorous use.

Another object of the invention is to provide padding for ironing rollers which will stand up against extremely high temperatures as much as from 500 to 600 F. while having a low compression set so that it will not pack down and that can be made with a low durometer number of from 40 to 50.

A further object of the invention is to provide a padding which will possess desirable softness while its tensile strength is high.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a new and improved ironing roll padding that will be impervious, heat resistant and which will be able to dissipate the moisture evolving from the pieces being ironed.

Still another object of the invention lies in improving the ironing roll padding disclosed in my earlier application Serial Number 361,379, filed June 12, 1953, now Patent No. 2,757,442, issued on August 7, 1956.

Other objects will become more apparent as the invention is more fully described.

For a clear understanding of the invention and its objects, reference is made to the accompanying drawing which, together with the following description form a disclosure of embodiments of the invention, while the appended claims emphasize the scope thereof.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a transverse section of an ironing roller provided with the padding of this invention;

Figure 2 is a transverse section of an ironing roller with a different padding;

Figure 3 is a transverse section of an ironing roller with still a different padding; and

Figure 4 is a fragmentary side view of an end of the ironing roller of Figure 3 with the upper half portion thereof in section.

While only the sections of the rollers of this invention have been shown, it should be understood that a plurality of these rollers are to be used in the customary ironing table or steam chest and that these rollers are exposed to relatively high steam pressures and temperatures.

These rolls 20 are preferably of metal. In Figure 1, the roll 20 is surrounded by a cylindrical sleeve 21 of synthetic rubber or plastic known in the trade as silicone or silicone rubber. This envelope has been found to be highly suitable as a padding for flat work ironers and laundry presses. It will stand up under extremely high temperatures in the order of from 500 to 600 F. It has a low compression set and it will not pack down. It can be Patented June 4, 1957 made with a low durometer number of from 40 to 5'0 and possesses a high and desirablesoftness. Silicone rubber is a synthetic material, the molecules of which are long chains of silicon-oxygen units with two methyl groups attached to each silicon atom. It retains its elasticity at temperatures ashigh as 300 C.; and stays elastic at temperatures as low as -50 C.; and is unaffected by ozone, corona, or ultraviolet light. At present silicone rubher is being manufactured by Dow Coming 0011)., which uses Silastic to identify its product, and General'Electrio Co., which identifies its product by the trade name of G. E. Silicone Rubber.

A thin fabric covering 22 is 'e' cularly applied about the silicone sleeve 21. In use, heat radiated from a source, such as a heated head of the type shown in Patent No. 2,639,519, granted to L. N. Polk et al., or the corresponding head shown in Fig. 4 of the patent to Irvine, No. 2,198,620, is absorbed by the silicone sleeve on the rotating rolls and since the covering 22 is thin, the moisture is readily removed from the ironed piece and dissipated.

In order to increase the tensile strength of the padding sleeve, while retaining the other above mentioned qualities thereof, the said sleeve, shown at 24 in Figure 2, is made of fibre-glass woven in the form of cloth or of some good grade of asbestos, and Silicone is applied at 23 as an exterior coating on the periphery of the sleeve 24. In this manner, while the tensile strength of the roller is greatly increased, the quantity of silicone used is cut down. The thickness of the silicone coating should vary, preferably, from A2 to of an inch.

As in Figure 1, the coated sleeve of Figure 2 is encased in the thin fabric covering 22.

It has been found that certain butyl compounds can be produced which can be used on ironing rollers, are able to stand high pressures and temperatures and will not crack nor crust, nor get sticky or gummy at high temperatures.

Since silicone is relatively costly at the present time, the arrangement shown in Figure 2 and the above noted use of satisfactory butyl compounds, will avoid high cost of production.

As a further economy step, the use of steel wool either made from plain carbon steel or from stainless steel or other more corrosion resistant metal, is indicated for manufacturing the cylindrical sleeve. This construction is indicated in Figure 3.

The steel wool is first woven or knitted or braided as a mat. This mat is then shaped cylindrically as indicated at 25 and placed around the steel tube 20. A cylindrical layer 26 of synthetic high-heat resisting rubber compound, such as is known in the trade as Filastic, and Silicone, surrounds the mat 25. The thin fabric covering 22 is applied as previously around the layer 26.

The steel wool serving as the bottom pad will provide still greater resiliency to the padded roll and at a good saving in manufacturing costs. In as much as the cylindrical layer 26 of artificial rubber is thoroughly waterproof and non-absorbent, no moisture from the wet articles being ironed can possibly get down through the rubber to the steel-wool mat.

The superimposed layers consisting of the top rubber and the inner steel-wool mat are secured together, a suitable technique being the gluing and/ or stapling of the lead end 30 of the rubber layer 26 to the lead end 31 of the steel-wool mat 25. The lead end 30 and the follower end 32 of the rubber layer 26 respectively overlap the lead end 31 and the follower end 33 of the steel-wool mat 25. This overlap makes the roll ends smooth and desirable in that it prevents s c-called end abrasion. The end edges 35 of the top rubber layer are tapered and extend beyond scribed herein certain specific embodiments of my invention, it is not intended thereby to have it limited to or circumscribed by the specific details given in view of the fact that this invention is susceptible of various modifidisclosure and the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is: 1. The combination with a metallic ironer roll having a cylindrical surface, of a covering surrounding said roller in contact with inner woven sleeve, an intermediate sleeve of silicone rubber applied to the outer surface of said inner sleeve, and a thin fabric sleeve covering said intermediate sleeve. 2, A combination of the type set forth in claim 1, in which the inner sleeve is woven from glass threads.

cations and changes which come within the spirit of this said surface; said covering complising an 3. A combination of the type set forth in claim 1, in which the inner sleeve is woven from asbestos fibres.

4. A combination of the type set forth in claim 1 in which the inner sleeve is woven from metallic wool.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Prenzel Jan. 31, 1933 Irvine Apr. 30, 1940 Rochow Oct. 7, 1941 Crary May 26, 1942 Roedel May 20, 1947 Mathes Sept. 19, 1950 Holroyd et al Dec. 19, 1950 Johnson Feb. 20, 1951 Freedlander May 27, 1952 Polk May 26, 1953 

